


It's Not Uncommon

by cactusdad



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Smut, shieth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 11:33:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10333748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactusdad/pseuds/cactusdad
Summary: It wasn’t uncommon for Shiro to be woken up in the dead of night by Keith sneaking into his room. He always tried to be quiet, his bare feet treading lightly on the smooth floor, taking such care to open and close the door slowly so it didn’t click locked harshly. But years of sleeping prepared to leap into action at a moment’s notice had made Shiro a light sleeper, and as quiet as Keith was, Shiro always woke up to see Keith’s lean body padding toward his bed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for the fandom, and honestly this started out to be just plain smut but I got an idea and just... ran with it. I hope everyone enjoys!

It wasn’t uncommon for Shiro to be woken up in the dead of night by Keith sneaking into his room. He always tried to be quiet, his bare feet treading lightly on the smooth floor, taking such care to open and close the door slowly so it didn’t click locked harshly. But years of sleeping prepared to leap into action at a moment’s notice had made Shiro a light sleeper, and as quiet as Keith was, Shiro always woke up to see Keith’s lean body padding toward his bed.  
It was instinct now that Shiro would move over to the side of his bed to make room for Keith. He would hear the door open and find himself closer to the wall of his bed chamber, as he listened to the sound of Keith trying to cross the room as quietly as possible. He’d shift to his side to face the room as the side of the bed depressed, and Shiro could begin to make out Keith’s dark form as his eyes readjusted to the darkness of the room. Shiro watches as Keith shifts under the blanket, and curls into his chest.  
The first time, Shiro had been concerned. He had sat up and tried to talk to Keith. But Keith hadn’t wanted to talk. He had just crawled into his bed and pressed his face, wet with tears, into his chest. Shiro had held him as he cried, remembering that Keith had mentioned something about having nightmares. He hadn’t realized they were this bad until this moment, Keith in his arms, at sometime past midnight, crying silently.   
He didn’t always cry. Sometimes he wanted to talk about it, but most of the time, he was just silent. He would just crawl into Shiro’s bed, curl up against his chest, and fall asleep quickly while Shiro held him and ran his fingers through his soft black hair until he also fell asleep. The top of a person’s head, at the crown, always smells strongly of them, and often times Shiro would fall asleep with his nose pressed to that spot, breathing in his scent and falling asleep with the smell of Keith in his nose and the feel of him in his arms.  
He wasn’t quite sure the exact moment when he and Keith had become this intimate with each other. No words were spoken, and they didn’t act different around each other around the others. Shiro couldn’t show favoritism, and truly, he didn’t love any of his fellow paladins more than the other, but Keith; it was different with Keith. There was a deeper connection there, one that he had felt since he had saved him all the way back on Pluto’s moon.   
Shiro often found himself watching Keith in the early days of Team Voltron’s assembly, watching the way he would scratch at the back of his neck when he was anxious, the way his nose would scrunch up a bit when he was irritated and how when he was amused, his mouth would curl up crookedly and his dark blue eyes like the depths of an ocean would sparkle like it’s surface. He would admire how he looked during training, body slim but well muscled, bunching and stretching under pale skin that gleamed with sweat. His eyes were focused during training, sharp and calculating.  
After a while, Shiro found himself unable to sleep without Keith tucked into his chest. The bed would feel cold, and empty without him laying next to him. He found himself wanting for Keith’s familiar scent, for the comforting feel of his body against his. Because Shiro had nightmares too. He had nightmares ever since he had been captured by the Galdra so long ago. He dealt with them in silence, and dealt with them well. But it didn’t stop him from waking up some nights with a cold sweat and his hands clenched into fists, eyes snapping open as he sucked in a sharp breath suddenly.  
The first time it had happened while he and Keith had been sharing a bed, he had looked over to see Keith watching him with concern in his eyes. He had stared into those eyes for what seemed like hours, an unspoken understanding between them. Shiro had fallen back asleep, lost in the depths of those eyes. He slept better than he had in a long time. In fact, he always slept better with Keith beside him. The nightmares were less frequent, milder. Instead, he dreamt of a prickly dark haired boy with eyes as vast and deep and beautiful as the ocean.   
He dreamt of them sitting in a field of tall grass together, staring up at the cosmos that in reality they traveled. Of them getting breakfast in a small diner together, laughing and enjoying eachother’s company. Of them walking hand in hand in a forest, admiring the greenery and talking about nothing. Of them caught in the rain as a storm thundered around them, soaking them to the bone, but they didn’t care because they were pressed close together, kissing gently.  
Shiro hadn’t known what to do about these new feelings that had developed for Keith. He almost wanted to avoid Keith, to avoid the urges he felt to grab his hand, to lean over at breakfast and kiss his cheek affectionately as he made a snarky comment. Keith wouldn’t feel that way about him, he was sure. They were close friends, brothers, even. Family. Keith didn’t think of him that way. But his dreams where they kissed and talked and held hands were becoming more and more frequent, more intense, and his urges harder to resist, and he knew he had to try something.  
“Keith,” he whispered as they laid together in his bed. Keith had been silent tonight, and Shiro knew there was a good chance that Keith was already asleep and wouldn’t answer him.   
He felt a slight shift as Keith drew away slightly to look up at him, meeting his grey eyes with his. God, those eyes would be the death of him.  
“Yeah?” He said softly, looking at him with slightly tired eyes. He rubbed one and yawned. Shiro could feel his heart practically melt at the sight.  
“I…” he began, but stopped. He didn’t even know what to say. He liked him? He loved him? His heart was pounding in his chest, and he knew that Keith could feel it. Keith frowned, “Shiro? What’s wrong?”  
“Keith I… I just…” Shiro tried, grasping for the right words. He was a natural born leader, he could speak to a crowd and explain complicated battle schemes. He could negotiate with enemies, but for the life of him, could not find the words to articulate how he felt when he looked into Keith’s eyes, how he felt when he saw him enter the room. How weird it felt when he woke up without Keith there beside him.  
Keith studied his face for a moment, and Shiro said nothing. He knew at this point, his feelings were plain on his face, and Keith hopefully could read into them. After what felt like an eternity, Keith spoke again, eyes softening from worry to something else. Something Shiro had never had the pleasure of seeing in his eyes before.  
“Me too,” Keith murmured, before leaning forward and brushing his lips gently against Shiro’s, who felt as those his heart was exploding inside of his chest. It was happening. Here. Now. He was kissing Keith, his friend, his prodigy, his fellow paladin. He chased after the gently brush of Keith’s soft, soft lips, seeking more. And he found it. He pressed his lips firmly against Keith’s, closing his eyes as Keith kissed him back.  
The kiss was everything and nothing like how Shiro had imagined it to be. Keith’s lips were soft and full against his own, chapped and thin. The kiss was firm, yet tender, and almost hesitant, but this went away slowly as the kiss continued. Shiro’s heart was beating faster and faster and he was breathing harder than he had in a long time. He pulled away after what felt like an eternity and barely a tick at the same time. He opened his eyes and found himself, again, staring into Keith’s.   
“Come back tomorrow night,” Shiro said suddenly, gaze locked with Keith’s. He wanted this, he wanted this so badly. He wanted to have Keith next to him in bed every night, and in his arms when he woke up.   
Keith smiled. Smiled that crooked grin of his. Shiro felt the corners of his own mouth lift into a smile as Keith said, “Yeah, okay.”  
Shiro fell asleep with Keith’s scent in his nose, the feel of him against his skin, and now, the taste of him on his lips. He dreamt of them cuddling on a couch while they watched a movie, playing with his soft hair as he rested his head against his chest. Shiro woke up like he always did. Alone.  
Keith was always gone in the mornings. This wasn’t anything new, or anything Shiro wasn’t used to. But this time, after last night, Shiro had hoped that Keith would have stayed the whole night with him. He already missed having him in his arms, the feel of him on his skin. He touched his lips gently, the ghost of Keith’s lingering on them. He got up, and went to the training deck to do his morning exercises and routine. Then he showered, and with a slight anxious feeling in his chest, went to breakfast to see the others.  
He hadn’t known what to expect. That Keith would leap into his arms and hold his hand and no one would really care? No, that was unlike Keith to show outward affection. It was unlike the rest of the group to not comment or tease and while Shiro wouldn’t mind, he wouldn’t mind at all, Keith didn’t like being in the spotlight, having his choices picked over and teased and poked and prodded. It made sense. What he and Keith had would be private, hidden from everyone else.  
This hidden affection took form in stolen kisses on the training deck, in a hand grasping his under the table, shared looks across the room when training. A lingering touch here. A small inside joke here. A smile. A look.  
Behind doors, they were more open. Keith spent every night with Shiro in his room. They would talk, laugh, cuddle, kiss. It started slow between them. Pecks on the cheek, on the forehead, on the top of the head, on the nose (Keith liked to kiss Shiro right on the scar across the bridge of his nose. Shiro found he really didn’t mind this at all.), on the lips. Keith grew bolder and Shiro less tentative and more confident. He was a born leader, confident in leading Voltron and calling shots, but this? With this he was so unsure of himself, anxious and afraid of mistepping. He let Keith set the pace.  
Keith moved slowly. Methodically, almost. And Shiro was okay with that. He let Keith decide when he wanted to kiss him for a little longer, when he wanted to let his hands wander across Shiro’s chest, and let Shiro run his own hands down his sides and hold his hips tenderly. Always hesitant, ready to pull away at a moments notice. But Keith gave him no sign of regret, always sure footed in his actions. Just like how Shiro was the opposite in his leadership than he was in his loving, Keith was unlike himself, well thought out and careful instead of rash and unpredictable.  
And was this what it was? Love? Did Shiro love Keith? He thought about this one night, as he looked at the sleeping form next to him. It was true, he cared deeply for Keith and he would say that he loved him in the way close friends can love eachother. Unrelated brothers. But did Shiro love him the way that lovers did? He thought about how Keith had invaded his dreams, his thoughts. How he couldn’t sleep without Keith curled up to his chest. How he longed for Keith to stay in the mornings. Of how when all of this was over, he wouldn’t mind returning to Earth and taking a vacation with Keith somewhere warm. He looked at the raven haired boy in his bed, and in that moment, decided that yes, he loved Keith. He loved him so much that the thought of being without him made his chest tighten and his stomach roil. He felt the sudden compulsion to wake Keith up and tell him, right now, how he felt.  
He gently nudged Keith’s shoulder and whispered, “Keith.”   
Keith stirred, groaning softly as he cracked his eyes open. His voice was groggy with sleep as he spoke, “Shiro? What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Shiro quietly, heart pounding and stomach in knots. Now that he was actually speaking to Keith, he didn’t know if he could go through with it.  
Keith frowned, always able to sense Shiro’s unrest and uneasiness. He opened his eyes more and gently kissed his lips before pulling away and staring into his eyes. “Shiro, what’s bother you?” he murmured, face merely inches from Shiro’s.  
“I…” Shiro began, before stopping to gather courage. He found it in Keith’s eyes, concerned and sincere. Open.   
“I love you,” He said, voice barely above a whisper. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest, and he felt like he might throw up.  
Keith stared back at him for a long moment, before surging forward and capturing Shiro’s lips into a kiss deeper and more passionate than any they had shared yet. Shiro’s eyes were wide with surprise, while Keith’s were shut tight. It took him a moment before his eyes fluttered shut and he was kissing Keith back with just as much passion. A fire lit in his veins, and on their own accord his hands flew up to tangle in Keith’s hair and pull him closer closer closer-  
Keith pulled away and they gasped for breath, the oxygen sucked out of their lungs after the intensity of the kiss. “I love you too,” Keith breathed before he dove back in for more. Shiro didn’t have time to register the second attack on his lips because his mind was too busy processing that Keith loved him too. His lips were moving of their own accord and his hands were moving from Keith’s hair to the small of his back, and his head was spinning.  
He loves me he thought as Keith moved his lips away from his and kissed the scar on the bridge of his nose before kissing his jaw, and then his neck. Shiro gasped as Keith nipped and sucked on the pressure point behind his ear. His skin burned, as Keith’s hands found his shoulders and gently pushed him onto his back.   
He loves me he thought as he stared up at Keith, now straddling his hips. God, he looked beautiful like this. It finally registered that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, and the expanse of his pale chest was fully out on display for him to admire. He reached up and trailed a hand down his chest, watching and feeling as Keith shivered under his gently touch. He was pulling at the hem of his shirt, and Shiro sat up to help Keith get it off of him. Keith was leaning down and kissed him again, softly, but the kiss quickly escalated and Shiro’s skin was on fire as Keith’s bare chest pressed against his. He felt Keith’s tongue run along his bottom lip and he parted his lips for him without a second thought. He felt he might die when he felt the wet slide of Keith’s tongue against his own in his mouth.  
He loves me he thought as Keith was kissing down his body, setting his skin on fire with one press of lips at a time. He gasped and let out small noises he hadn’t even known he was capable of making as Keith made his way steadily lower and Oh God this was really happeing. Keith had paused to lick across his nipples with the flat of his tongue and Jesus that was a pleasant feeling. He felt his back arch slightly as he felt Keith smile against his skin as he kissed lower, chasing his fingers that traced the curve of his abs and then hip bones, leaving trails of gasoline that Keith ignited with kisses.   
He loves me He thought as he grapped Keith’s hips and switched their positions. He kissed him deeply, but not rough. He could never be rough with Keith, just tender but passionate, firey. He felt the cold air against his skin as Keith pushed the soft fabric of his pants off of his hips, and shivered slightly, suddenly feeling utterly exposed as his desire for Keith was put on display, unable to be ignored or hidden. Keith sensed the sudden tension and pulled away to murmur, “I love you Shiro.”  
“I love you,” Shiro echoed back before surging forward to kiss Keith again. He pulled away to kiss at the underside of his jaw, nipping slightly. God, the noises Keith made as Shiro began kissing down his body this time, cataloguing each new twitch and gasp and shudder as he attempted to kiss every inch of his pale skin. He could feel the heat radiating off of him, leeching into the air and into Shiro’s lips and skin as he pulled Keith’s pants down and away, freeing him  
“I love you Keith,” Shiro murmured again as he gazed at the proof of Keith’s affection, stiff and heavey agaisnt his stomach, a bead of precum pearling at the tip. Keith shuddered above him and breathed, “I love you too, Shiro.”  
Shiro kissed around the back of his dick, before kissing lower. He would touch Keith there later. For now, he had other plans. He wanted to make Keith feel good, so good, as good as he deserved to feel. He needed to prove his love to him, right then, right there. He kissed at the stretch of skin behind his sack, and smiled slightly at the high pitched keen Keith let out. He gently spread Keith’s thighs and cheeks and passed his tongue over his entrance, rewarding him with another sound of pleasure from Keith.  
He worked him open slowly, first with his tongue, then with his fingers, adding each one only when he was sure Keith was ready for the next. He had three fingers inside him when he curled his fingers just so, and -  
“Ah! Shiro!” Keith practically wailed, body jolting from the pleasurable sensation as Shiro brushed against his prostate. Shiro smiled softly, looking up at him as Keith threw his head back, face slightly red before he looked back down at him and in a very un-Keith-like way, pleaded, nearly whined, “Shiro, take me. Please.”  
And how could Shiro deny such a request? Really, it was an honor, being allowed to take the body of someone so beautiful. Shiro made his way up his body, kissing and nipping, yet less exploratory this time. He finally reached his lips, and kissed him gently as he positioned himself between his thighs. Keith hooked his legs around his waist, pulling him closer, and then Shiro was pushing into him.  
“Oh my God,” he groaned, as Keith parted for him, sliding in slowly to the tight heat. It felt better than anything he had ever experienced before with other partners. Keith’s eyes were closed and his jaw was slack as he pushed into him, a litany of praised falling from his lips as Shiro bottomed out. They remained like that for a moment, panting and sharing the same air. It would be impossible to properly kiss eachother now, not when pleasure was surging through their bodies, gripping their senses and holding them captive in eachother’s pressence.  
“Shiro,” Keith groaned after a while, and Shior looked down at him, suddenly concerned he had mess up, done something wrong.  
“Yeah?” he said, heart pounding out of fear now that arrousal, which was still very much there.  
“Move,” Keith begged, shifting his hips slightly as he spoke, and it took everything in Shiro not to collapse on top of him.  
“Yeah, right, right…” Shiro breathed, before placing a sloppy kiss on his lips, shifting his hips and then pushing back into Keith slowly in a long thrust. Keith gasped out, hands finding Shiro’s back and digging his nails into his tanned flesh and Shiro set a moderate speed. There was no way in hell he was rushing this.  
“I love you,” Keith gasped as Shiro angled his thrusts upward slightly, his pace increasing and growing harder as he felt heat pool in his stomach delightfully.   
“I love you too,” He moaned, face buried in Keith’s shoulder as he thrusted into him, harder, faster, longer, deeper. He felt his balls begin to tighten and draw up close to his body as he drew closer to his climax.  
“Shiro,” Keith moaned, pulling him closer to him with his legs, “Shiro, I’m gonna-”  
“Do it,” Shiro breathed, thrusting harder into him, hips pistoning irratically as he lost all semblance of control. Keith’s heat and tightness was addictive, and Shiro was so close, so so close, but he refused to come before Keith. He wanted Keith to feel good, would always but Keith’s needs before his own.  
Keith needed no other invitation before arching his back and clenching around Shiro, cock, trapped between them, pulsing and then shooting out a load of cum onto their chests. Shiro thrusted three more times, taking Keith through his release, before shuddering and coming deep inside of him, groanig his name.  
They laid in silence after that, Shiro now on his back again and Keith on his side, one arm sprawled over his chest after Shiro had gotten up and grabbed a wet rag to clean themselves off. Keith was drawing patterns on Shiro’s chest, and Shiro was playing with Keith’s hair.  
“Keith?” Shiro said, staring up at the ceiling.  
“Yeah?” Keith said, looking up at him as Shiro dropped his gaze down to look at him.  
“Stay in the morning,” he murmured, and Keith broke out into that crooked grin of his, and nodded. They fell asleep shortly after that, tangled in eachother’s arms, worn out and tired and utterly in love.  
Waking up with Keith in his arms was everything Shiro wanted. It felt better than a good run, better than a victory from a tough battle, better than Hunk’s cooking, better than anything in the world. Keith looked so peaceful in the morning light, his hair a mess, and his face free from worry. If he had it this way, he would spend all day in bed with Keith, cuddling and talking. That sounded like heaven to him.  
The guys found out the next morning when they arrived to breakfast at the same time late that morning. Showering together had taken more time than expected, attempting to get each other’s scent off of their skin, and only succeeded on getting distracted and only adding to the problem. Pidge claimed that she had known for a while, Lance said he had always suspected Keith of being an actual suck up (Which earned him a hard kick under the table from Keith and a hard glare from Shiro), and Hunk was just happy for the two of them. Allura and Coran had known something was going on for a while, the mice having seen Keith leave his room and go to Shiro’s in the dead of night for a while now.  
Surprisingly, after a couple days of teasing, the rest of the team didn’t really seem to care. They didn’t look at them differently, and they didn’t care when Shiro held Keith’s hand and kissed the top of his head in passing, or wrapped his arms around him during movie night. They were at peace, and everything was perfect.  
Keith moved into Shiro’s room officially 3 weeks after he told him that he loved him. Unofficially, Keith had been living in Shiro’s room for about a month. Keith’s things had slowly started appearing in Shiro’s room, little traces of his frequency in his room. A jacket here, a book there. Proof that they were together. He didn’t want to say they were dating, because they never went on dates. He supposed that Keith was his boyfriend, but that sounded stupid. It was enough for him just to know that Keith loved him and he loved Keith without needing to put a specific label on it.  
Shiro could see himself living a life with Keith after all of this, defeating the Galdra and saving the universe. He knew that they’d always be on call to help if anything ever arose, but in the downtime, he and Keith could be together. Living together, sharing a proper life together. Keith’s nightmares were getting better, and so were Shiro’s. Sometimes he still woke in the middle of the night, sweating and memories of his time as a prisoner, and the things he did haunting him. But Keith was always there, always there to hold him tight and tell him its in the past, it’s over now. Keith was his rock, and he knew he was Keith’s.   
Keith was always able to handle himself well in battle. It was one of the things he admired about him, his strong connection with his lion and his skill in fighting. Shiro was never particularily worried about him in battle, no more than he was about the others. Keith always handled himself.  
And then everything went wrong. Shiro wasn’t sure what exactly happened, but as they were fighting off a particularily difficult Galdra fleet, somehow Red was hit by a powerful beam and flung out of the sky. Shiro felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach learch at the sight. He told the other Paladins to hold off the fleet and immediatley went to Keith, his heart beating in his chest wildly. His palms were slick with sweat and his real hand trembled with worry as he landed next to Red, who was clearly in bad shape. She gave Shiro entrance into her immediately, which concerned Shiro even more.  
Keith was in the cockpit, helmet cracked and Shiro could see the blood from the back of the room.  
“No, Keith,” Shiro croaked, running to him. He removed the helmet carefully, and choked back a sob at the sight. Those eyes he loved so much, so full of ambition and life, were glassy. Dead. His skin was even paler, making the blood trickling from his head seem even redder in comparison.   
“Keith…” He sobbed, holding his body to his tightly before sobbing. Keith, his Keith, was gone, just like that. One simple mistake, and he had been taken from him. All of his plans and dreams shattered around him as he trembled and shook as he cried.  
He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. He was numb as Lance took Keith’s body from him. Numb as Hunk gently guided him out of red. Numb as he showered in his room and laid down in bed. He couldn’t stay there long though. His sheets still smelled like Keith, and there were traces of Keith everywhere. A jacket here, a book there. It was too much, too much for Shiro to take.  
He started sleeping in the empty room next to his old room. The bed was too empty and cold, and Shiro had a hard time sleeping. Even when he was sleeping, he was plagued by his dreams. He wasn’t sure which ones were worse, the ones were Keith died and it was his fault, making him wake up crying and whispering that he was sorry, or the ones where Keith lived, and they had returned to Earth after defeating the Galdra, and he woke up reaching for Keith and finding his bed empty.  
It wasn’t uncommon for Shiro to be woken up in the middle of the night with Keith’s name on his tongue, with the ghost of his scent in his nose, and the ache for the feel of his skin, only to find himself alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me for art @Gaybaguette on instagram


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